Basic human and civil rights are being violated in the occupied Crimea. Persecutions of democratic activists, politically motivated trials and the targeted suppression of the rights of the Crimean Tatars and other national minorities are taking place.

The militarization of the Crimean Peninsula and the restriction of free navigation in the Kerch Strait and the Sea of ​​Azov grossly violate international law and threaten stability and security in Europe. Due to the military activities of the Russian Federation, there is also an ecological devastation of the occupied territory and the wider region.

The Czech Republic, even in view of its historical experience, does not recognize the annexation and, together with EU and NATO member states and other international partners, strongly condemns it. We express our unequivocal support for Ukrainian sovereignty and territorial integrity within internationally recognized borders.

The Czech Republic calls on the Russian Federation to stop human rights abuses on the peninsula, to release political prisoners from Crimea, to respect international law and to end the occupation of Ukrainian territory.